Post-hole digger.



A. L. ClHAK.

POST HOLE DIGGER.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 11. 1917 1,266,663. Patented May 21,1918.

Fig. J.

[Mr/@7260)", A. L. Cz'hak, E

Attorney.

dATE' ANTHONY L. CII-IAK, OFWATERLLOO, IOWA.

POST-HOLE BIGGER.

specification of Letters Patent.

PatentedMay 21, 191 8;

Application filed September 17, 1917. SeriaINo: 191,794.

My invention relates to improvements in post-hole diggers, and the objects of my improvements are, first, to furnish adjusting means for the resiliently controlled excavating blades of such a device, and second, to supply releasable locking means for said controlling means;

TheseobjectsI have accomplished by the meanswhich are hereinafter described and claimed, and which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is an elevation of my improved post-holedigger, with dotted lines indicating an ad juste'd position of the operating lever; Fig. 2 isa topplan of the'device, and Fig. 3 isan underplan' View of the excavating blades broken away; Fig; 5'is an enlarged cross-section of thecrosshandle of the deviceg and of said operating lever as engaged therewith, and F ig.--6 is an enlarged perspective detail view of one of the bodies on which an ex cavziting-bla'd e'is'- to be mounted? Similar numerals of reference denote corresponding parts throughout the several views.

In the drawings, the numeral 1 denotes a tubular standard upon whose upper end the oppositely extending tubular cross handles or arms 3 are secured by means of a T-coupling 2. A sleeve 22 is mounted on the lower end of said standard by means of a threaded connection, and has a plurality of outwardly and downwardly opening slotted seats in its expanded lower portion 31 to receive the forked bodies 23, the latter-pivoted on pivot bolts 24 passed through alined openings 30. The forked bodies 23 extend inwardly from escutcheon like plates 25, the latter having rivet-holes 29 whereby excavating-blades 26 may be mounted thereon by means of rivets 28. The lower ends of the blades 26 are curved inwardly toward each other.

The numeral 4 denotes a reciprocatory rod having its opposite ends threaded, said rod being mounted centrally with-in the hollow of said tubular standard 1 to have its opposite ends projecttherefrom, the" upper end projecting beyond the T-coupling 2 through an opening which it passes, while thelbw'er' end of the lug projects downwardlya short distance beyond the blade-carrying body 31. The numerals 1'9 and'2O denote a pair of like spaced upwardly concaved' centrally orificed' disks mounted upon the lower end of'the'rod 4, the lower disk 20 being held adjustably by means of a nut 21 placed on the threaded extremity of the rod. Another nut '18 is mounted on said rod immediately above and in contact with the concave upper surface of the upper disk 19. The blade carrying bodies 23 have shallow. bifurcations 27 which embrace opposite parts of the lower disk 20 so thatthe upper forks of the bifurcations are located between the two disks and keep-them spaced apart. A helical compression spring 17 encircles the lower part of said rod 4, within the tubular standard 1, and isengaged between said nut 18' at its lower end and a plurality of inwardly directed 'point's 16 at its upper end, said points extending inwardly from the stan'dard'l.

The numeral lO'd'eno'tes an operating lever having a w'abble-pivot connection 14 with one olithe cross-arms 3, as best shown in said Fig. 4-. A short arm 15 'o'fsaid leveris' orificed to receive the rod 4 therethrough, and said lever arm has some relative play on said rod beneath an adjusting nut 5 and a washer 6. The numeral 7 denotes a rectangularly formed loop or clip whose ends are pivoted to opposite sides of the T-coupling 2 on the screws 8, and said clip has in its cross-part a relatively deep groove or indentation 9 adapted to embrace the upper extremity of the rod 4 when the latter is in its lowered position and the clip swung upwardly to secure it in said position.

The opposite end of said lever 10 has an offset widened part 11 with downwardly and obliquely inclined side parts which may embrace the adjacent cross-handle 3 when that end of the lever is sufiiciently depressed, as indicated by the dotted lines in said Fig. 1. The lever 10 being pivoted on a wabblepivot 14, said lever may be somewhat rocked horizontally, as indicated by dotted lines in said Fig. 2, before being depressed. In one of the depending side parts of the expanded part 11 of said lever is fixed an inwardly directed pin 12, which, when the lever is first rocked horizontally, and then depressed, may be forced into the socket or orifice 13 in said crossarm, whereby the lever is releasably secured in that position.

In Fig. 1, the influence of the spring 17 when the lever is released from the crossarm 3, as indicated by the full lines, pushes down the disks 19 and 20 with said rod 4, thus rocking the bodies 23 to cause the eX- cavating blades 26 to spread apart to their widely extended widest extent. The clip 7 may then be'swung from its full line to-its dotted line positions, to inclose the upper end of the rod 4: above the nut 5, and thus lock the rod and said excavating blade with the latter in their most positions. To adjust the positions of the blades 26 to bring them nearer together, as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 1, the clip 7 is first swung out of engagement with the rod 4, and the lever 10 is then depressed and secured to the cross arm 3 in the manner hereinbefore described.

When said excavating blades are thus brought more closely together, the implement may be employed in the well known way in excavating a post-hole in the earth to the required depth. If a hole of a larger diameter is desired, the blades may be more widely spread apart and secured as above described and the implement used to enlarge the hole previously made. It will be understood that when the lever 10 is depressed, to secure it to the cross-arm 3, its opposite end 15 will lift up on the rod 4, thus compressing the spring 17, and resiliently holding the blades 26 in their contracted positions.

Having described my invention, what I Copies claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A post-hole digger, comprising a supporting-body, a plurality of excavatingblades hinged thereto, an operating rod movably connected to said blades, yieldable resilient means connected to said rod, an operatin lever connected movably to said rod, lodking-means for said lever to hold it in one position releasably, and locking-means for said rod to hold it in one position when the lever is released. I

2. A post-hole digger, comprising a tubular standard, excavating-blades hinged to one end thereof, an operating rod mounted movably within said standard and movably connected to said blades, yieldable resilient means connected between said standard and said rod, a tubular cross-handle on said standard, an operating lever having a wab-.

ble-pivot connection to said cross-handle and lever and said blades, locking-means for releasably locking said lever in one position, and other locking-means for releasably looking said operative connections when the locking-means for said lever are released.

Signed at Waterloo, Iowa, this 30th day of August, 1917,

. ANTHONY L. .CIHAK.

of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

